AS’s concerted drive this fall produced 1,065 student registrations, more than 200 above its goal of 800 and an AS record.
The target had been considered somewhat optimistic when it was set at the start of the semester because of poor voter turnouts in the recent past, according to AS President Ellyn Henderson.
But strong outreach—including AS registration pizza parties— coupled with the high-profile presidential election and student worries about another tuition hike if Proposition 30 fails—drove up the registration numbers, Henderson said.
“The presidential contest has a lot to do with it and here on campus, the fear that if Prop 30 doesn’t pass, what that will do our school—a loss of $5.5 million,” she said.
Henderson underscored Prop 30’s adoption. AS passed an official resolution calling for its approval. That enables the organization to advocate publicly for the measure.
Henderson said voter outreach was multi-pronged. AS was joined in the effort by Lobby Corps, an AS-funded group of students focused on getting peers more involved in state and community government; and by HSU’s California State Student Association Representative Jesse Hoskins, also a member of Lobby Corps.
AS and Lobby Corps members visited classrooms daily over a period of about six weeks this fall, securing permission from faculty to devote 15 minutes to registering students to vote and explaining Proposition 30.
“Registration forms are a little more complicated than you might think,” Henderson said, “and we provided guidance step-by-step to correct mistakes and avoid students going through the hassle of having to register over again.”
The AS effort also got a boost from CALPIRG, the consumer advocacy group, in the form of an online voter registration system. AS endorsed a web page formatted under CALPIRG auspices that is attached to the student government’s website.
“Our students can click on it and it is such an easy process,” according to Henderson. “It’s a lot quicker, you save paper and you don’t have to use white-out when you mess things up! When you make a mistake, the system explains how to correct it.”
AS has been busy elsewhere this fall. It has just secured funding approval from President Rollin Richmond and Library Dean Teresa Grenot for extended Library hours at the close of the semester and final exams. This will enable even more students to take advantage of the Library’s extensive first floor refurbishing, Henderson noted.
Henderson also announced that AS, teamed with with Student Affairs and Information Technology Services, is studying the feasibility of establishing a new campus website that would serve as a form of trade-mart or clearinghouse for students who wish to buy, trade or sell books, bicycles, clothing or furniture. It could also be a convenience in arranging ride-sharing, meeting housing needs and organizing lost-and-found operations, among other student uses.
“The proposal is in the formulation stage and it’s a year-long project, but the idea is that it would strengthen the long-term, campus-wide program of institutionalized sustainability,” Henderson said. “It would resemble, say, Craigslist, but it would be geared expressly to Humboldt State students. “Instead of having to buy new books or bicycles for example, we could trade with each other and avoid long searches online or off-campus. In terms of sustainability, you’d save on really expensive packaging and shipping costs.”
On election day, the polling place for voters in precincts 3A-5A, 3A-12 is the first floor of Jolly Giant Commons.